Tuesday, November 18, 2008

The Greensboro City Council had the best opportunity to pass a reasonable ordinance to change how property owners or their conflict of interest lawyer's can bring up a continuance on a zoning case to the council or withdraw the case without any penalty.

On October 21, 2008 the Greensboro City Council had an agenda item which pertained to closing a loophole in the planning process. It was an ordinance amending chapter 30, sections 30-3-12.2(c) and 30-3-12.2(i) related to resubmitting applications for rezoning property after final action by the zoning commission, after final action by the city council and when the application is withdrawn from consideration less than 19 days before zoning commission public meeting date for the said property.

It was defeated 8-1 with Dianne Bellamy- Small the lone dissenter. The Yes votes were Rakestraw,Matheny,Wade,Perkins,Barber,Wells,Groat, andJohnson

As reported by TRIADWATCH on October 24, 2008 CLICKHERE or click on the title above. This report was named "Greensboro City Council Member Mike Barber Wants a Lovefest with Local Developers.

At tonight's Greensboro City Council meeting there was a zoning case on New Garden road where the owner of the property came in front of the Greensboro City Council and asked for a continuance in front of council. This made the robin ridge and turner hills neighbors highly upset that Kim Reittinger came in front of council to try this maneuver, CLICKHERE to see what was reported before on this zoning case.Kim Reittinger then went ahead and withdrew the case from the city council.

This case should have never got to this point but to hear mayor protemp Sandra Anderson Groat say that she thought the owner might do this shows that this is not fair to the citizens fighting these zoning cases and to have the applicant at last minute like Derek "Conflict of Interest" Allen do the same maneuver on another case off of New Garden Road shows that the Greensboro City Council might want to rethink their stance against what Dick Hails proposed back in October.

On a side note to hear mayor protemp Sandra Anderson Groat say that she met with the neighbors before the council meeting and not acknowledge before the zoning case started is not good public policy. You should let all know that you have been in contact with either side before the zoning case even starts.

This part of the process is not fair on the neighborhoods who have to continually come in front of council over and over again for no reason. But to hear Greensboro City Council member Mike Barber say "If somebody wants to bring back a half a dozen times . We should hold the door for them,hug their neck, give them a coke, figure out a way to build what they want to build because it's a new day and if we don't grow tax base , we will raise their taxes."

This is the mentality of a pro development city council and zoning laws in Greensboro need a complete overhaul all the way down to making the applicants actually meet with the neighbors in a zoning case. It boggles the mind that the City of Greensboro encourages the meeting but doesn't require them to meet with the neighbors. If Kim Reitinger had to meet with her neighbors she would have seen all the opposition to her request and would have probably thought twice about what she made them go through.

But this case that went in front of council tonight should make the Greensboro City Council rethink their 8-1 denial back on October 21, 2008 and pass this fair and reasonable change to the ordinance that was brought to you by Dick Hails who did a lot of research on this issue.